An Xbox user with a library worth more than $40,000 received a permanent ban — but he didn’t understand why.
The gamer claims that he lost access to his account after a session in Call of Duty: Black Ops 1. One of the team members used a mod that automatically unlocked all in-game achievements for all participants in the match. The next day, the player was permanently banned for violating the Xbox community guidelines.
«I didn’t do anything, but suddenly a day later I get a message saying I’ve been banned for breaking community guidelines. Now, I’ve been playing Xbox for years with a perfect account—no violations, no strikes, nothing. I’ve literally never cheated in my life. But Microsoft punishes me for something I didn’t even do»,— the gamer writes.
Of course, the user immediately tried to appeal the decision, but it didn’t work. The appeal was automatically rejected in a matter of minutes. The company sent a simple response to the denial: «No details provided». The player says that it is impossible to contact Microsoft support directly – there is neither live chat nor a quick response to requests.
«To make matters worse, there’s no way to escalate or contact anyone directly. I tried everything, and Microsoft just ignores me. So basically, if you’re unlucky enough to be in the wrong lobby or even get caught by a stray bullet like I did, they can take everything you’ve ever bought without any explanation or recourse», — the player adds.
The user was probably already on the way to an existential crisis, but the community helped him. The player complained to the gaming community, and the latter came to his defense. Thanks to massive publicity and numerous attempts to contact the company, the situation was rectified. As a result, Microsoft paid attention to the case and returned access to his account.
But the case has once again raised an important question about the ownership of digital content. Gamers invest substantial amounts of money in their libraries, but they can lose everything at any time without explanation or protection. For example, a streamer Elden Ring Klein Tsuboi, known as Let Me Solo Her, banned from the game for 180 days because of something quite innocent, namely a mod that does not affect battles or bosses.
What to do if you are banned?
If you find yourself in a similar situation, you should:
- File an appeal through the official Xbox website
- Collect evidence — videos, screenshots, or testimonies from other players
- Reach out to the Xbox community — sometimes massive publicity can help get Microsoft’s attention
- Use Copilot for Gaming — a new AI assistant from Microsoft that can help to solve the problem
Despite some problems with the community — Microsoft continues to expand. Last year, the company was indignant about why developers ignore Xbox. Shortly after the announcement, the head of the Xbox reveals plans for the company’s development, including portable consoles and a multiplatform. Already this year, insiders claimed that Microsoft was allegedly developing a portable Xbox console together with Asus, after the company tempted by the success of Steam Deck. According to rumors, the release of the Xbox console may coincide with the anticipated release of Nintendo Switch 2.
Source: Windows Report
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